Frankfurt/Main – IG Metall and the Central Association of German Electrical and Information Technology Trades (ZVEH) are seeking a minimum wage for the electrical trades. The basis for this is a collective bargaining agreement reached in March, which is to be declared generally binding. IG Metall and ZVEH have submitted a corresponding application to the Federal Ministry of Labor. The two associations announced this on Monday at a joint press conference in Frankfurt.
“We want to protect workers, businesses, jobs, and our collective bargaining agreements from unfair competition. Workers should be able to make a decent living from their work,” said Helga Schwitzer, executive board member of IG Metall. She emphasized that this is particularly important in light of the free movement of workers within the EU, which takes effect in May 2011. The electrical trade could serve as a good example for other sectors, such as temporary staffing, where a minimum wage is also being sought, the union representative emphasized.
“The electrical trades are closely tied to future technologies such as solar and wind power plants, as well as electric mobility. Using wage dumping as a short-term cost-cutting strategy would inevitably lead to stagnation or even regression, and long-term competitive disadvantages rather than a promising future. We want to work together to prevent that.”
“The electrical trades are committed to the minimum wage: This is already the sixth collective bargaining agreement on minimum wages for electrical and information technology trades in Germany since 1997, and it has served us well so far. From our perspective, the minimum wage can secure jobs. It also gives companies a certain degree of planning security, which they need now more than ever. The agreement’s universal applicability and long term of validity are intended to ensure stability and gradually narrow the wage gap between East and West,” said Gerd Peters, Vice President of the ZVEH.
The collective bargaining agreement provides for a minimum wage of 9.70 euros starting in 2011. In stages—9.80 euros starting in 2012, 9.90 euros starting in 2013, and 10.00 euros starting in 2014—the minimum wage is set to rise to 10.10 euros in 2015. In the eastern German states, the minimum wage will be 8.40 euros starting in 2011. Here, the increments call for an increase to 8.65 euros starting in 2012, 8.85 euros starting in 2013, 9.10 euros starting in 2014, and finally 9.35 euros starting in 2015.
The collective bargaining agreement on minimum wages in the electrical trades was last concluded in 2007, declared generally binding, and is set to expire at the end of 2010. The electrical trade employs approximately 317,000 workers nationwide in about 76,000 businesses. The electrical and information technology trades encompass the occupational groups of electrical engineers, information technology technicians, and electrical machinery engineers.
